Little Talks
by LizTheStoryteller
Summary: A year after the discontinuation of Animaniacs, Yakko Warner struggles to make ends meet, leading him to keep secrets from his younger siblings. But if they're happy, then so is he. Right? Rated for later chapters.
1. Worry

**Author's Note: For those who may have noticed, the title of this story is the same as the popular Of Monsters And Men song. I meant no copyright infringement, I just really feel that the lyrics inspired some parts to this fanfiction. I do not own the song "Little Talks" or any of the Animaniacs characters. Please enjoy. **

Chapter 1

"So I guess we'll have to cut down on our electricity usage. And… well, everything else." Fifteen-year-old Yakko Warner sat at his study desk with his head in his hands, feeling a headache come on after an hour of meticulous financing.

Animaniacs ended a little over a year ago, but you wouldn't know it looking at the Warner Brothers movie lot. TV shows and sci-fi films were still shot there and the city of Burbank still saw celebrities come and go. They even opened a new ice cream parlor down the street. Life went on, even though it had initially felt like the world was ending for the Warner siblings. Yakko remembered the day they heard the news. The entire cast had been gathered into Plotz's office, which had been strange in itself since cast members were rarely all in the same place together. Yakko could recall the aura of the room, as well. Though the Warner kids had popped into the CEO's office several times, it had had an exceptionally professional and austere feel to it.

"Hey, what's the big idea bringing us here? My show comes on soon," Slappy had complained. "Yes, some of us have previous engagements," Brain grumbled. Plotz opened his mouth to reply, when all of a sudden "Yeah, T.P! Why'd ya call us here?" Yakko had exclaimed as he, Wakko, and Dot popped out of Plotz's suit. "Get away from me!" he cried, flailing his arms as the Warners scurried away mischievously. Regaining his composure, he continued "To answer your question, I have some bad news." The room fell eerily silent and all eyes were on him. What kind of bad news needed to be heard by _all_ of them? Plotz suddenly seemed nervous. After some hesitation, he finally blurted, "We're not doing any more episodes of Animaniacs. The-uh…the show's cancelled, so you can all go home, now."

"Cancelled?" Dot squeaked incredulously. "But everyone loves our show!" Yakko had argued. Plotz flinched as a barrage of angry questions were thrown at him by the Animaniacs cast. "Be _quiet_! You think I did this to you!? There was nothing I could do!" Plotz practically screamed. The toons ceased their complaints and, for a long moment, no one moved or said a word. Looking at each other, they seemed to be thinking the same thing: it can't be true, can it?

The silence was finally broken when Slappy walked slowly towards the door. "Eh, come on, Skippy. Those soap operas won't watch themselves," she muttered as Skippy followed closely behind her out of the office. The rest of their co-stars had left without a word once the news had sunk in, however, much to Plotz's dismay, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot had stayed behind. "What? What do you kids want?" he asked irritated. The three looked at him sadly. "What about us?" Dot asked. "Do we have to leave, too?" Wakko had chimed in quietly.

Yakko chuckled bitterly to himself. Who would have known Plotz had a heart tucked inside that corporate suit of his. Not only were he and his siblings allowed to keep living in the water tower, they had also been promised a check once a month for the Animaniacs DVD sales released after the show's discontinuation had been announced. And all Yakko had to do was pay for everything else. Water, electricity, food, rent. Everything he and his siblings had taken for granted when Warner Brothers had taken care of them.

Wakko and Dot had been sad to say good-bye to their show, but Yakko had been shoved forcefully into what sadists call "the real world." He nearly ripped his ears off the first time he had to do their taxes(which was saying something since Yakko was not one to lose his temper so easily). He preferred to be the one to do it, though; he couldn't let his little brother and sister worry the way he did. The thought of Wakko and Dot losing sleep over money, having that boundless, playful energy sucked out of them, horrified Yakko. _What if I fail them? _he thought to himself. _What if the money runs out and I can't protect them or take care of them? What i-_

The door to the tower swung open suddenly, causing Yakko to nearly jump out of his seat. "We're ho-ome!" Wakko sang as he and Dot strode into the living room, both holding ice cream cones. "Graceful as always, sibs," Yakko drawled as he quickly pushed his tax records and spreadsheets under his notebook. "We got you some ice cream, too, Yakko," Dot said, holding up a tub of lactose-free butterscotch ice cream. "You should have come with us, though." "Why, thank you, Sister-Sibling! I'm surprised you managed to make it all the way home without letting Mr. Black-Hole-For-A-Stomach, over there, eat it," Yakko joked.

Wakko was about to retort, when he noticed Yakko casually blocking his view of the papers scattered on the study desk. "What are those, there?" he asked in his scouse accent. "You don't have homework, do you? We're not even in school…" Yakko laughed airily. "Wouldn't you know it. Hit on the teacher one time too many and she puts you in summer school." Wakko and Dot sighed inwardly. Bills. So _that_ was why their brother had sent them out of the house for the afternoon. "It's perfect weather for ice cream!" he had said cheerfully. Once a month, Yakko would act more eccentric than usual and send his siblings on some random errand during something Wakko and Dot secretly called "Bill Day."

Dot decided to play along with Yakko's facade. "Boys, go fig," she jested. "Can we watch the movie we got from the video store?" Wakko asked, trying to change the subject. "Sure, pop it in the VCR player," Yakko said as he hopped up from his chair.

* * *

"AAAGHHH!" A shrill cry rang through the living room. Yakko watched intently from his spot on the couch as the masked killer on their TV screen sawed the leg of a screaming(yet pretty) young woman off. Fake blood splattered everywhere as the camera zoomed in on the girl's gory wound. "Come on, Romeo, the movie's almost over and we haven't seen a single sex scene yet!" Wakko groaned softly and nuzzled his face further into Yakko's shoulder. _Oops_, he thought instantly. Yakko looked down to make sure his outburst hadn't woken his sister, who was fast asleep with her head in his lap. _Leave it to my sibs to fall asleep during a slasher film_. Once the ending credits started rolling, Yakko stood up slowly, making sure to lean Wakko's head against the couch, and gently lifted Dot into his arms. After he had carried her into her room and laid her to bed, he went back to the living room and tried to do the same for his brother. Instead, he ended up leading a half-asleep Wakko by the hand to his room.

Yakko put the video back in its case and headed to his own bed. Halfway there, he noticed his paperwork from earlier out of the corner of his eye. The bills were laying out on the desk, almost like they were taunting him. "Well," he muttered while sitting down at his desk. "I better do my summer school assignment." Once Yakko had finished signing the checks to the water and electricity companies and had planned out the budget for the next month, he placed the papers in his notebook and turned the study lamp off. "I'll mail everything in the morning," he mumbled as he stood up and straightened his back.

The eldest Warner tiptoed quietly to his room so as not to wake his siblings and sluggishly crawled into his bed. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but opened them again when he realized his efforts were futile. _What will I do when the money runs out?_ Yakko thought fearfully. _The money _will_ run out, eventually. And my siblings will suffer for _my _mistakes._ He lied in his bed wide awake all night, a victim of his own cruel imagination.


	2. Playtime

Chapter 2

After a tense Bill Day, Dot and Wakko were overjoyed to have their brother back. Though Animaniacs was over, the three were allowed on the Warner Brothers lot and still got a kick out of harassing Ralph, who happened to be chasing them at that moment. "Duh, I'll get you Warners!" he hollered, racing after the kids with a net poised over his head. As they rounded a corner, Yakko pulled his siblings into an alley and motioned for them to be quiet. After a few seconds passed, Ralph went stumbling by without noticing. When the coast was clear, the Warners exhaled deeply. "For a fat man, he sure can run," said Wakko. "Hey, you know who we haven't seen in a while?" Yakko asked grinning, a malicious glint in his eyes. There was only one person who warranted that particular look. "Scratchy!" they cried in unison.

* * *

Dr. Scratchansniff sat in his office typing his notes from a previous session. "Ze celebrities are getting crazier zese days," he muttered in his thick, Austrian accent. Suddenly, the clock on the wall opposite chimed the hour. "Ooh! Time for two o'clock snack break," the psychiatrist cheered in a sing-song voice. Scratchansniff pulled one of the drawers of his desk out and began rummaging his hand around. "Now, vhere did I put zose chocolates-AAAGHH!" he shrieked as Yakko, Wakko, and Dot jumped out of the drawer. "Hiya, Scratchy," they exclaimed together. "Can we eat these?" Wakko asked holding up a box of German chocolates and eyeing it hungrily. "No, no, no, no, no! Zose are _my_ chocolates!" Scratchansniff said sternly, grabbing the box of candy out of the young Warner's hands.

Dot jumped up and down on the psychiatrist's couch yelling, "Boingy! Boingy! Boingy!" Wakko took it upon himself to find something else to eat in Scratchansniff's office. Just as Scratchansniff was about to stop Wakko from eating one of his notepads, Yakko grabbed his arm. "Aw, come on, Scratchy! We just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing. We don't get to see our favorite p-sychiatrist as much, anymore." Scratchansniff pulled his arm away and took what was left of his stapler out of Wakko's mouth. "Vell, I don't have time for your monkey business, today! I have a date vith Frau Hassenfeffer tonight a- oh!" he quickly slapped his hands over his mouth.

"A date!" the Warner siblings exclaimed. "We'd love to!" Dot cried excitedly. "Scratchy, you ol' dog!" Yakko nudged him with his elbow. "No, no, no! You are not invited!" Scratchansniff looked at the three beaming up at him and decided to take a different approach to the situation. Forcing a smile, he handed his box of chocolates over to Wakko. "You vant ze candies? Take zem! It's okay!" He began gently pushing them out through his office door. "Be good children now, ya? Be good and leave us alone?" he pleaded. The siblings looked at him disappointedly. "Oh, all right," Yakko said dejectedly. "Very good! Now please go away!" And with that, Scratchansniff ran back into his office. "We're going on that date, right?" Dot asked, dropping the sadness act. "We wouldn't miss it for the world, sibs," Yakko replied happily.

As the siblings walked out of the psychiatrist's office(with the one last wolf-whistle to Hello Nurse from the Warner brothers), they heard an angry yell coming from above. "Get out of my office, THIS INSTANT!" The kids looked at each other knowingly. "Sounds like Plotz is still as sweet as ever," Dot said sarcastically. "We should cheer him up," Wakko offered sweetly. "Right-o, siblings! After all, we always were his favorite headaches."

* * *

The Warner brothers and Warner sister snuck quietly up to the CEO's office. As they were about to enter, Plotz bellowed "Take that lousy idea somewhere _else_!" A scrawny, nervous-looking man scrambled out of the room and bolted past them. "He's worse than we thought," said Dot.

"Hey, Plotzy! Did ya miss us?" Yakko jested as he and his siblings poked their heads inside. Plotz's eyes widened in horror. "Oh, no! Not you three! Leave me alone!" he shouted while vigorously pushing the security button under his desk. "But we have something for you!" Dot said innocently. "Yeah, something real special," Wakko added. "I dunno, sibs," Yakko taunted, crossing his arms. "It doesn't look like he deserves our special present."

Plotz leaned forward slightly. "What _is_ this 'special presesnt'?" "Uhhhhhhhh nothing," Yakko said, turning away. Plotz, beginning to lose his temper, cried out, "Now, see here! You can't just stop by my office with a gift you were going to give me and then _not_ give it to me!" "So, you want us to give it to you?" Yakko pretended to be interested in his nails while Dot and Wakko snickered behind him. "Yes!_ Give it to me!_" Yakko smiled down at Wakko and Dot, who had stuffed their hands into Wakko's gag bag. "You heard the man, sibs. Let him have it!" The eldest warner stepped out of the way in time as two cream pies whizzed past him and splatted into the CEO's face. He blinked as cream dripped down onto his formerly clean suit. "You look better this way," Dot teased as Wakko licked some of the cream off Plotz's cheek.

"Get. Out. NOW!" he roared. The Warners skipped gleefully out of his office. Yakko, however, was yanked back roughly by the scruff of his neck, leaving him face to face with a furious, pie-covered Plotz. "What? You prefer lemon meringue, instead?" he said with mock exasperation. "Do you have any idea what I'd just finished signing before you hooligans barged in?" Plotz asked, grinning madly. "Us, into your will?" Yakko guessed. "Your last check from the Warner Brothers company," the man finished smugly. The teen's smile faded. "Last check?" _Already?_ "Here you go!" Plotz shoved the slip of paper against Yakko's chest. "Now that that's taken care of, you and your horrid, trouble-making family are to stay away from me!" And with that, he shoved the young Warner out and slammed the door in his face.

Yakko stared at the door for a moment, then glanced down at the check in his hands. _So…we'll have to live off of three hundred seventy-two dollars and fifty-six cents…for the rest of our lives_. "Yakko? Yakko!" The sound of his sister's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Yakko quickly slipped the check into his pocket as Wakko and Dot walked toward him. "I thought you were right behind us," Dot said worriedly. "Was Plotz yelling at you?" Wakko asked, a hint of guilt in his voice. _They can't know…_ "He wasn't really yelling." Yakko put his arms around his siblings and led them down the hallway. "He lectured me on how, as the oldest, I should not be condoning such childish behavior and should be a good role model to you two," he continued, the last part in a mock-Plotz voice.

"Yeah, whatever," Dot giggled. "What? You don't think I can be responsible?" Yakko squeezed his arm tighter around his sister's shoulder, prompting her to laugh even harder.

* * *

"Which do you think Scratchy'll like better: scarlet or crimson?" Dot asked, holding up two different lipsticks. "Who cares! As long as the food is good, I'm sure we'll have a good time," Wakko replied as he pulled up his yellow, plaid pants. "And boy, am I starving!" "What else is new?" Yakko remarked from his seat on the couch. "Hey, why aren't you getting ready for to go?!" Dot scolded. Yakko fiddled with the TV remote. "Oh, uhhhhhh I don't think I'm going." "Why not?" Dot demanded. "I'm feeling a bit under the weather…" The truth was, Yakko was too tired to mess with Scratchansniff. There was just something terribly discouraging about getting the last check his family might ever receive, that day, for him to have the energy.

"But, you said we wouldn't miss it for the world," Wakko pointed out. "Well, sometimes I just say things," Yakko said absently. "Besides, I never said you guys couldn't go. Do whatever you want." He turned his attention back to the TV as his show came back on. "Are you…tired of us?" Dot asked quietly. Yakko swirled his head around. "What?! No! It's not that at all!" He clicked the TV off and turned around to face his siblings. "Look, I'm just really tired and I'm not in the mood for going out tonight. That's it. Please don't think I'd ever try to avoid you or get rid of you guys." His siblings maintained their concerned expressions.

"Why are you so tired, though?" Dot asked. "Yeah, I mean, it's not even Bill Day-" Wakko's eyes widened in alarm. "Uh, I-I mean…" "Bill Day?" Yakko asked bewilderedly. Dot glared daggers at Wakko. _They know?_ Yakko thought. _Of course they know, they're not stupid!_ "We're sorry," he heard his brother mumble. "How long have you two known about me getting worked up over our finances?" "About a year," Dot muttered with her head down. Yakko mentally kicked himself. _I try so hard to keep the bills a secret and it turns out they knew all along. Nice job, Warner_. Yakko sighed. "So, why do you call it 'Bill Day'? That sounds to me like some sort of a Canadian holiday. Why not, 'Yakko Gets Gray Hairs Day,' instead? I mean, if it's a day all about me, shouldn't I get to pick the name?" he joked. "No, we already decided," Dot uttered curtly.

Yakko chuckled. "Okay, it's Bill Day, then." He stared gingerly at his brother and sister. "I'm sorry I tried to keep you two out of the loop. I just didn't want you to worry about our financial situation. From now on, I promise I'll be more straightforward with you guys." "It's alright," Wakko reassured him. Yakko grinned. "Now, go on that date! You don't need me to be there with you. Though, admittedly, I _would_ make the night exponentially more interesting!" "Oh, get over yourself," Dot cried as she punched her oldest brother playfully in the arm.

Once Wakko and Dot were done getting dressed up for the evening (with Dot taking her time to put on her makeup, much to Wakko's annoyance), they crawled down the water tower ladder and waved good-bye to their brother. From his spot at the top of the tower, Yakko watched them go.


	3. Lies

**Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update (I don't have a good excuse, either), but here is the third installation of my story, Little Talks. I tried to make this chapter a bit longer than the previous ones, so please enjoy! Reviews are greatly appreciated.**

Animalistic chewing and smacking disturbed the otherwise elegant establishment that was Bazoli's Fine Dining. People stole disdained glances at the table where the large owner of these noises sat, with some muttering under their breaths, "How rude!" and "How can that woman eat so much!" However, neither of the people at said table took notice.

Dr. Scratchansniff gazed adoringly at his girlfriend, Frau Hassenfeffer, as she gobbled down an entire lobster, shell and all. She then began munching away on the roasted duck. Gathering his courage, the psychiatrist slid his leg toward hers under the table and slowly began rubbing his foot against her ankle. Scratchansniff yelped and drew his foot back instantly as his date viciously kicked him in the shin. "_Stay on your side_!" Hassenfeffer snapped. "Y-y-yes, my peach." Scratchansniff hung his head as his date continued gnawing away at a duck leg bone.

All of a sudden, they were both splashed with hot, tomato basil soup. "Helloooo, Scratchy!" Dot and Wakko cheered as they sprang out of the soup bowl. "Oh, great!" Sratchansniff grumbled miserably, wiping the steaming broth from his face. Hassenfeffer, on the other hand, was genuinely elated to see the children. "Schnauzers!" she cried, hugging them tightly. "Hassie!" the Warners greeted warmly. Putting them down, her smile shrank as she examined them. "I see ze girly schnauzer, ze schnauzer vith ze red hat, but vhere is ze tall, skinny schnauzer?"

Wakko and Dot exchanged uncomfortable looks. "He wasn't up to it…" Dot shrugged. "But he says, 'hi'," Wakko added. "Is Yakko feeling okay?" Scratchansniff asked, suddenly worried. Despite himself, he had become quite fond of the Warner children since they first met. He tried to check up on them every now and then, even though their cartoon had ended a while ago. "Silly Scratchy, Yakko spelled backwards _is_ okkay!" Dot replied brightly.

The psychiatrist sighed inwardly. She was dodging the question and, for all Scratchansniff knew, there probably _was_ something troubling the oldest sibling. After knowing the Warners for three years, he still couldn't get a straight answer out of a single one of them. He had finally surmised that the three were just naturally guarded with their feelings.

"Anyway, let's dig in. I'm starving!" Wakko exclaimed, pulling Scratchansniff out of his thoughts. Just as Dot and Wakko were about to stuff chicken legs into their mouths, Scratchansniff snatched them away. "No, no, no, no, no! You children promised you vould not ruin my date!" He pointed towards the exit. "Now, go home!" The Warners' eyes doubled in size and became watery. "Please, daddy!" Dot begged. "Can't we stay with you?" "We're poor, hungry children," Wakko cried pathetically. "We'll eat the table scraps you don't want!"

"Otto!" Hassenfeffer scolded sternly. "Let ze little schnauzers eat vat zey vant!" She turned to the children and said in a gentler tone, "Don't vorry! Zere is plenty of food here for us. And if ve run out, Otto vill order us some more!" "Yay!" the Warners cheered. Scratchansniff looked on with his head in his hands as Wakko, Dot, and Hassenfeffer gorged themselves disgracefully. Suddenly, the thought of picking up their tab horrified him even more.

* * *

As the sky grew darker, Scratchansniff's green, compact car pulled up next to the Warners' water tower. "Bye, Scratchy! Bye, Hassie!" Wakko said as he and his sister crawled out of the vehicle. "Yes, bye-bye," Scratchansniff replied tiredly. "Until next time, my little schnauzers!" Hassenfeffer called sweetly. "Can't wait until the next date!" Dot said excitedly. As they shut the car door, they could hear Scratchansniff groan quietly. Dot and Wakko waved at them as the car drove slowly away before climbing up into the tower.

"That was fun," Wakko mulled, pulling his sister up from the ladder. "Yeeaahh," Dot sighed. "It would've been more fun with Yakko, though." The two stepped through the metal doorway only to find their entire home to be unsettlingly dark and silent. Dot walked into the other room and turned the kitchen light on. "Yakko! We saved you some spaghetti from the restaurant!" she called out while holding up a white, Styrofoam box. No one answered. "That's strange," Wakko mumbled. "It's too early for him to be in bed. I figured he'd have left the TV on, or something." "Maybe he really was feeling sick," said Dot.

The siblings poked their heads into their eldest brother's room. "Yakko?" Wakko whispered. His bed was vacant. Dot went around checking every room in the tower for her brother, but he was nowhere to be found. "Yakko! Where are you?!" she yelled, feeling herself begin to panic. _Why won't he answer? Where else could he be?_ "I don't think he's home, Dot," Wakko said quietly. "Then where is he!" she snapped, tears welling in her eyes.

A horrible thought crossed Dot's mind. "Was he kidnapped?" she asked weakly, her eyes wide in terror. "We shouldn't jump to any conclusions," Wakko said quickly, holding his gloved hands up. "It doesn't look like there was a struggle here. Maybe he just went for a little walk…at night…and, er, and he isn't back, yet. Maybe…uh…" He knew he was fooling Dot as much as he was fooling himself. _What if Yakko _is_ in trouble, though_. Wakko didn't doubt that one of their "special friends" from Animaniacs would want to exact revenge for making a fool of them on television. At that very moment, his older brother could be in unimaginable pain. He pictured Yakko, bloody and bruised, lying motionless on the cold floor. That thought sickened Wakko. "W-we have to do something!" he cried frantically. _Please, Yakko, hold on!_

* * *

Yakko had waited for his siblings to leave before making his way to the center of the Warner Bros studio. The sun was already setting at this point, making the lot buildings give off a gold-orange gleam. He gave a small smile as he watched his younger siblings eagerly walk side-by-side to Bazoli's Fine Dining.

Yakko leapt from his spot atop the water tower and slid smoothly down one of the metal poles that held their home in place. Landing gracefully on one foot, he walked briskly toward the Warner Brothers main building. Though he felt somewhat guilty about lying to his siblings, he convinced himself that it was necessary. _No more secrets after this_, Yakko thought to himself. _Right after this little secret, no more! We'll never need to keep anything from each other ever again._

Yakko finally arrived at the main building, five minutes before closing time. _Excellent!_ He thought. He entered just as several people were leaving. He took the elevator to the top floor (humming "Yakko's World" the whole way), rounded the corner, and caught the person he needed to see just as they were leaving their office.

"Hey, T.P. Is it Friday night, already?" he quipped, causing the startled man to drop his keys. "Yagh! W-Warner!" Plotz spluttered as he shakily snatched his keys off the ground and whirled around to face the teen. "Where are the other two? They're not going to jump out and scare me half to death, too, are they?!" "Nope, just me," Yakko said, holding his hands up in a mock-surrender. Unconvinced, Plotz eyed him suspiciously. "Then what do _you_ want? I already gave you your paycheck, this morning." "Yeah, about that…" Yakko began, scratching his head. "Well, see, you said that this check is our _last_ check, but I came to see if maybe, uuuuhhhhh, it could _not_ be the last one."

Plotz gaped at the boy. "You want me…to just give you money?! You're out of your mind!" he practically roared. "No, no, I'll work for it!" Yakko said hurriedly. "I figured that just because the show's over doesn't mean we can't still get paid by Warner Brothers. I'll do other jobs. Whatever you want me to do!" He smiled disarmingly at the stout man. Plotz, taken back by Yakko's request for a moment, suddenly grinned evilly at him.

"_Any_ job, you say? So if I tell you to clean the studio toilets for minimum wage, you'll do it?" Yakko's smile faltered. _We need the money. Think of the sibs_, he thought. "Anything you want me to do," he answered evenly. The CEO suddenly burst with laughter. Yakko watched, dumbstruck, as the man continued guffawing until he was forced to lean against his office door for support. "Uuuuhhh…" "Hahaha, ha, oh, you must think I'm real stupid, huh," he huffed. Yakko opened his mouth to retort, but quickly thought against it. Standing up straight, Plotz continued, "After three years of dealing with you and your horrid siblings' shenanigans, did you really believe I'd ever take you hooligans back! No, thank you! I'm done with you children." He moved to walk past Yakko, however the boy quickly stepped in his way.

"Wait, hold on a minute! I'm not asking you to hire my siblings, just me!" Yakko explained. "Look here, you!" Plotz growled, angrily jabbing Yakko in the chest. "I won't make the same mistake, twice. So long as I run this place, you Warners will never work for this studio again! Hell, I'd be surprised if you found any sort of work at all. I guess you could say that your destructive tendencies are a bit…_famous_." With that, he stormed off toward the elevator.

Yakko trudged silently to the stairway. He certainly didn't want to be stuck in an elevator with Plotz after that. Besides, he was too distraught to notice himself getting tired from clomping down thirty-two flights of stairs. _What he said isn't true_, Yakko kept telling himself. _I'll find a job. I'll find something._ After what seemed like an eternity, he finally reached the first floor of the building. A custodian was mopping the hallway as Yakko made his way out the door. The cool night air made him shiver slightly. Hugging his arms to himself, he continued to walk slowly down the noiseless street. The world was too quiet; Yakko hated quiet. So he entertained himself with horrible scenarios in his head to pass the time.

_This is all my fault. All those years of messing with around people, and now, because of it, I can't get any work. If I can't find a job in time, we'll really be broke and my siblings will starve because of me and…and…_ Yakko stopped dead in his tracks as the worst thought of all penetrated his mind. _If I fail them, they'll go away. They'll run away from home. They won't want me to take care of them, anymore. And I wouldn't blame them._

Yakko sank to the ground, nauseated. "What will I do without them?" he whispered in despair. He sat there, on the ground hugging his legs to his chest, for long moment. He snapped out of his thoughts when he began to shiver uncontrollably. "It's getting chillier," Yakko mumbled as he stood up and continued walking home.

He arrived at the water tower and, upon reaching the top of the ladder, yanked the front door open. Yakko was welcomed home by the scene of his younger brother sitting on the floor sketching Lost Person posters with his image on them as his younger sister frantically spoke into the telephone. "Yes, hello, I need to report a missing toon," Dot stated. Wakko and Dot dropped what they were doing and turned to stare at him as they heard the door open. The room was silent, apart from the operator on the other end of the phone going, "Hello? Hello, is anyone there?"

"Yakko!" the two younger Warners exclaimed as they threw themselves at their brother. "We were so worried about you!" Dot cried. "Yeah," said Wakko. "We thought you had been kidnapped!" Yakko smiled sheepishly down at them. "Sibs, I'm okay. You don't have to worry about me."

Dot pulled away suddenly and glared at him. "Where were you?" she demanded angrily.

"Just out for a walk. I needed some fresh air."

"I thought you said you were 'feeling tired'. Didn't you say that?"

"Uuuuhhhh, yeah."

"That's weird, because when I'm tired, I don't walk around for two hours!"

"Look, Dot, I-"

"You _were_ trying to get rid of us! Look, _brother_, if you don't like hanging out with us anymore because we're little kids and you're sooo grownup, then just tell us. Stop lying about everything and making Wakko and me worry!" With that, she ran teary-eyed into her room and slammed the door. Yakko turned to his other sibling. "Wakko…" he stopped instantly when he noticed the same defiant look in his brother's eyes. "You're mad at me, too, huh." Yakko sighed.

"She's right, though. You lied to us. You treat us like we're children."

"What Dot said…about me ditching you guys, it's…it's not like that. I love you, two. I needed to take care of something, that's all. We had this discussion, earlier, didn't we?"

"You needed to take care of something? A secret? Another damn secret!"

Yakko flinched; his brother rarely swore. Wakko walked past him toward his own room and stopped at the doorway, turning to look at Yakko with- was that disappointment in his eyes? "Why can't you just _talk_ to us? Even a little?" He walked into his room and shut the door gently behind him.

Holding his face in his hands, Yakko walked over to the couch and slumped down. "Wow, I'm just pissing everyone off, today, aren't I" he muttered sarcastically, rubbing his temples. Remembering his conversation with Plotz, he reached a gloved hand into his pocket and pulled out a folded slip of paper. "Last pay from Warner Brothers…" Yakko rose from the couch and walked into the kitchen. _We can't waste any more electricity_. Turning the light off, he groped his way back to the couch in the dark and lied himself down.

Despite breakfast having been his only meal that day, Yakko wasn't hungry. He still felt sick with worry. _Shit, I can't even get a job with Warner Brothers as a janitor. I must be the spitting image of under-qualified_. His worries soon formed into a massive headache and, much to Yakko's irritation, he could hear the blood pumping in his head. So he lay there on the couch all night, sprawled on his back and unable to sleep.

* * *

The rumbling of his own stomach forced Wakko awake. Groaning as he pushed himself up, he dragged himself out of bed and placed his red cap on his head. He then lumbered sleepily out of his room and into the kitchen. Opening the fridge and scanning its contents hungrily, Wakko suddenly heard a raspy voice coming from behind him. "Want me to make some pancakes?" Yakko croaked. He stepped over to where his brother lay on the couch. "Yakko? Did you sleep here last night?" Yakko smiled tiredly. "Heh, yeah. It seemed pretty comfortable, at the time."

Yakko sat up and Wakko felt his heart sank as he got a good look at his older brother. He looked terrible. His eyes were bloodshot with grey bags hanging under them and the patches of fur on his head were messy and disheveled. "Sooo, pancakes are alright?" Yakko said casually, noticing the worried look Wakko had been giving him. "Um, sure," Wakko muttered as his brother strolled past him into the kitchen and started heating the stove. He watched silently from the table as Yakko mixed ingredients into a bowl, humming while he stirred.

_Did he lose all that sleep because we yelled at him?_ Wakko wondered guiltily. _Was that his way of…punishing himself? No, Yakko would never deliberately hurt himself. At least, I don't think he would._ Just then, Dot walked into the room, yawning. "Good morning, Sister Sibling!" Yakko said cheerfully. "'Morning," Wakko greeted his sister as she sat down beside him. "Good morning, _Wakko_," Dot replied coldly. _Ouch_, thought Wakko. _She's still mad_.

Yakko, however, seemed unfazed. "The pancakes are ready," he called from his place by the stove. He brought the plate of stacked pancakes and set it in the middle of the table. "Breakfast is served!" "What, no syrup?" Dot asked sourly, not even bothering to look at him. Wakko, on the other hand, had already started eating. "Hey, everyone's a critic!" Yakko joked. As he went back to get maple syrup from the cupboard, Wakko turned to his sister. "Dot, drop it," he whispered. "Whatever," she retorted.

"Oookay, now we can eat!" their brother said as he set the syrup bottle next to the pancakes and plopped down in his chair across from them. Dot glanced up in annoyance at her oldest brother, then did a double-take. "Yakko, what happened to you?" she blurted out. "Huh?" he asked, bewildered. Dot pointed to his face. "You look like you haven't slept in weeks!"

"Oh, well, I didn't sleep very well last night, if that's what you mean. But, uuuuhhhhhh, don't wo-"

"_Don't tell me not to worry about it_!"

Dot slammed her hands on the table as she stood up. All previous concern for Yakko morphed into contempt. Next to her, Wakko stared down at his plate as he chewed awkwardly. Yakko closed his eyes and sighed before pushing his chair back and standing up, as well. However, he walked away from the table and toward his room. Wakko and Dot watched in disbelief. "Where are you going?!" Dot demanded.

"Just a minute," Yakko called. "I know how to make it up to you guys." They heard him shuffling around in his room before he came out carrying a medium-sized cardboard box. "What's in there?" Wakko inquired as his brother set the box on the table. "Open it," said Yakko. Dot took the lid off to reveal a stack of notebooks and folders. She flipped one of the notebooks open and saw that it contained lists of expenses, such as water costs and grocery receipts. "This is stuff from…"

"Bill Day!" Yakko finished pleasantly. "And now it's yours, too!" The two younger Warners looked at him incredulously. "Ours?" Wakko asked. "So now you _want_ us to help you with this stuff?" Dot added suspiciously. Yakko smiled at them. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but it _would _take a load off of me if someone helped."

"I'd be happy to help," Wakko said, returning his brother's smile. Yakko turned his gaze to his younger sister. "What do you say, Dot?"

"Well, it looks like you could obviously use someone like me to help you!" she replied, crossing her arms. "Boys are so messy and unorganized. I'm really amazed you didn't lose all these papers a long time ago."

Yakko beamed at them. "Thanks, sibs."

* * *

After breakfast, the Warner siblings sat on the floor and organized the notebooks by date. "Once you've added up the totals from the grocery store receipts in one month with the electricity, water, and rent, then subtract that from our paycheck,_ that's_ all the spending money we have left," Yakko explained to his brother as he entered the values into his calculator. "Alright, that seems easy enough," Wakko said, his tongue sticking out as he played with the calculator.

"Hey, Yakko?"

"Yes, Dot?"

"Have we gotten our paycheck from Warner Brothers, yet?" Yakko froze.

"Because I see paycheck receipts for last month and all the months before that, but not this month and apparently we should have gotten it by now."

Yakko subconsciously felt the check in his right pocket. "Yeah, I got it. I'll take it to the bank later on, today."

"Alright," Dot said nonchalantly as she continued laying papers into different folders.

_Yeah…._ Yakko thought. _For the last time_. He glanced proudly at his brother and sister. _But everything else is good. Bill Day will be easier for us, next time. And I won't keep anything else from them. No, siree. No more secrets. _


	4. Hope

**Author's Note: I'm glad to say that another chapter is up and I'm happy with it. I really believe that this story is making me a better writer and hope that it shows. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Please enjoy!**

"I'm tired. Are we done yet?" Wakko complained to his brother stalely.

"Not yet. How about this one? No, no, it's no good!"

Yakko placed a pink dress back on its rack hastily before Wakko could reply. The Warner brothers had been at the Burbank mall all morning, shopping for a gift for their younger sister. Today was her tenth birthday ("Double digits," Yakko had remarked. "That's a big deal!"). For such a big deal, though, Yakko and Wakko had completely forgotten about Dot's present.

Imagine the looks of horror on the Warner brothers' faces when their sister had skipped into the kitchen that morning, asking delightedly, "Guess what day it is!" They realized their mistake too late. Luckily, Yakko had thought quickly enough to tell Dot that he and Wakko had to "go pick up her surprise." Once the boys had climbed down the water tower, they immediately sped to the mall.

"Nope, certainly not this one," Yakko muttered, tossing another dress back. Wakko grinned up at him, letting his tongue loll out. He loved spending time with his older brother, just the two of them, even if they _were_ currently in the little girls section of a department store. Yakko scratched his head.

"What do girls like, anyway?"

Wakko thought for a moment. Girly things weren't exactly his division.

"Shoes?"

"We don't wear shoes, bro."

"Oh, right."

The two stood there, deep in thought. "I dunno. Let's try some other store," Yakko said tiredly. As the siblings strolled out of the clothes store and continued past the food court, something in another stores window caught Wakko's eye. There, displayed in the entrance of the print shop, stood a poster of Don Knotts standing next to Andy Griffith. Unable to resist, Wakko tugged on his brother's arm.

"Can we get her a Don Knotts poster?"

"Hey, wait 'till your own birthday," Yakko scolded lightheartedly. He walked scanning the windows around them until he stopped abruptly, causing Wakko to bump into him. "_That's_ what we'll get her! It's perfect!" Yakko pointed across the walkway to a pair of small, white gloves on display in a formal wear store.

The brothers dashed over to look into the window. Upon further inspection, Wakko had to admit that they were, indeed, the perfect gift for Dot. The gloves were snowy white with frilly ends and a soft-pink ribbon weaved around the wrist part. "Dot will love it!" Wakko agreed. The Warner boys exchanged a look that easily translated to "Mission accomplished!" before heading into the store and marching up to the cashier.

"May I help you?" the tall, blonde woman asked pleasantly. "Believe me, sweetheart, you already have," Yakko replied flirtatiously. Wakko elbowed him in the ribs. "Uh, I mean, could we have those gloves in the window? The frilly ones?"

They waited patiently as the lady retrieved the gloves from the back room, coming back and placing them in a small, white box before ringing them up. "Your total is thirty-three dollars and twenty-six cents."

_Wow_, Wakko thought. _That's a lot of money for gloves_. He looked up at Yakko, half expecting him to return it, but his brother had already pulled out his money and was counting coins. "Ten, twenty, twenty-five, and twenty-six. There you are, kind lady," Yakko said as he placed the cash in one of the woman's hands and dropped the coins in her other one.

With Dot's present attained, the Warner brothers departed the mall. "That was a lot of money for something so small," Wakko pointed out. Yakko merely shrugged.

"It's Dot's birthday. You only get one birthday per year, you know." Wakko decided to accept this answer.

"Hey, let's stop by the store and get a small cake, too!"

"Good thinking, sib."

* * *

Dot sighed and stretched her legs out in a rather feline-like manner. With her two brothers out of the house, she could effectively relax on her bed and read her book without any clamor to disturb her. Dot laid flat on her stomach while cradling her head in her hands. _I love sappy vampire romance drama novels_, she thought idly as she turned another page.

Just then, Dot heard the water tower door swing open and shuffling sounds coming from the kitchen. She pushed herself up so that she was sitting on her legs and closed her book. "Guys? Is that you?" she called out nervously.

"Just give us a minute!" Wakko answered. _Oh, it's just them_, Dot thought, relieved. _I thought someone was breaking in. I mean, it's not like our huge water tower-of-a-house is conspicuous, or anything…_

"Hey, Dot! Can you come into the kitchen, please?" Yakko called. Dot hopped off of her bed and trotted into the other room. Upon entering the kitchen, she found her brothers standing next to the table where a carelessly wrapped box with a huge bow taped on top sat next to a strawberry cake with ten lit candles.

"Surprise!" the boys cried in unison.

"Aww, you guys didn't have to do this for me!" Dot said with mock coyness.

"Happy birthday, Dot," Yakko said, hugging his sister. "And you know very well that we had to."

"Yeah, you would've beaten us up if we didn't throw you a party," Wakko added matter-of-factly.

"Well, yeah, but that's not important," Dot joked. The box on the table caught her attention. "Can I open my present?" she asked Yakko excitedly. "Don't you want to blow out your candles and make a wish, first?" he asked, noticing Wakko eyeing the cake with a watery mouth. "Well, what if I wish for something and then it turns out that you already got it for me in this box, here?" Dot argued. "I should get to open my present, first. Just in case."

Yakko looked apologetically at their hungry brother. "She's got a point. Okay, Sister-Dearest, open it!"

Dot took her present eagerly and tried to open it, struggling with all the scotch tape wrapped several times around the box.

"I wrapped it," Wakko said proudly.

"I can tell," Dot uttered dryly.

Finally managing to tear the wrappings away, the Warner sister plucked the lid off and gasped in awe of the delicate, white gloves within.

"They're almost as cute as I am!" Dot declared as she peeled her old gloves off and pulled the new ones on enthusiastically. "Thank you!"

"We thought you'd like them," Yakko said, smiling.

"Can we eat, _now_?" Wakko asked over the sound of his rumbling stomach.

"Not until we sing for the birthday girl!"

Dot sat contently at the table as Yakko and Wakko sang "Happy Birthday" to her. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you!" the boys chanted, arms around the each other's shoulders. "Happy birthday, deeaaar Princess-Angelina-Contessa-Louisa-Francesca-Banana-Fanna-Bo-Besca-the-Thi-ird," -she giggled as her brothers inhaled deeply for comedic effect-"Happy birthday to yoouu!"

Dot blew out the candles and grinned. "What did you wish for?" Yakko asked as he placed a slice of cake on Wakko's plate. "Haven't you seen the cheesey Disney movie? I can't tell you my wish or it won't come true!"

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear from Disney movies, Dot," Wakko advised her whilst chewing, pink frosting smeared from cheek-to-cheek.

"Ain't that the truth," Yakko said as he passed his brother a napkin.

"Well," Dot muttered, embarrassed. "The truth is, I couldn't think of anything to wish for."

Yakko shook his head in disdain. "A _wasted_ birthday wish."

* * *

Yakko dried one final dish before placing the stack of plates in the cupboard. As his younger siblings bounced merrily on the couch in the living room, he silently wondered how they hadn't wearied themselves out by now. _Once upon a time, you were a ball of energy, too_, he told himself.

The Warner siblings had spent the entire afternoon running around the water tower playing tag and taking turns being "it" for hide and seek. And frankly, Yakko was exhausted.

"Wakko, Dot, it's time for bed," he called out. Dot ceased her jumping and scurried off the couch. "Okay, but you have to tell me a story, first!" Yakko gave a lop-sided grin as he dried his hands.

"I dunno, Dot. Now that you're ten, you might be too old for bedtime stories."

"No way, mister! You have to tell me a story before I go to sleep, it's birthday tradition," the Warner girl huffed.

"I want to hear the story, too!" Wakko cried as he hopped down next to his sister.

"Alright, alright! Go brush your teeth, first, though" Yakko chortled.

Once the younger Warners had brushed and flossed their pearly-whites, they raced into Dot's room where Dot crawled into her bed and nestled under the sheets while Wakko sat cross-legged next to her. All the while, Yakko had been sitting patiently at the foot of his sister's bed.

"Let's get started, shall we?" he began as his siblings gazed intently at him. Yakko thought for a moment before continuing.

"Once upon a time, there lived a cute little princess-"

"How cute was she?" Dot interjected.

"As cute as a button. And she lived in a huge castle that was made up entirely of cotton candy. In fact, everyone who saw the princess's kingdom thought she lived in the clouds." The oldest Warner waved his hands around in illustration. "Word of the princess's candy-cloud castle spread far and wide and eventually an evil, hungry troll heard of it. He traveled miles and miles until he came to the kingdom a-"

"Was he really evil?" Wakko asked suddenly. "Just because he was hungry, that doesn't mean he's evil, right?"

"Uuuuhhhhh, I'm sure he's a great guy once you get to know him. Anyway, the hungry troll banged on the castle doors and yelled, 'Give me all your cotton candy, this instant!'" Yakko narrated, raising his hands over his head and deepening his voice menacingly.

"But, as well as being extremely cute, the little princess was very smart, too. She opened the doors to her castle ever so slightly and said, 'Okay, Mister Troll, I'll let you in,'"-Wakko and Dot laughed at Yakko's high-pitched voice for the princess-"And do you know what she did, next?" Yakko asked. His siblings shook their heads, amused.

"BAM!" Yakko cried as he smashed his fist into the palm of his other hand. "She threw the door open and smacked him in the head with a mallet!" He slid off of the bed and stood up. "And the moral of that story is to never try to eat someone else's house."

"I like that story," Dot said happily and Wakko nodded in agreement.

"Now go to sleep, you guys."

Wakko rolled off of Dot's bed. "Goodnight, Dot. Goodnight, Yakko," he said as he trudged sleepily toward his room. "Goodnight," his siblings replied. Yakko began to follow his brother out of the room. "Goodnight, sis."

"Yakko?"

The oldest Warner stopped in the doorway and looked back at his sister. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for the gloves. I really like them," Dot said quietly. Yakko grinned.

"I'm glad."

Yakko left Dot's room, closing the door gently behind him, and peeked into Wakko's room. His brother was already snoring. _That was fast_. He went into his room and flopped onto his own bed.

_Jeez, thirty bucks for a pair of gloves_, Yakko thought. _But at least Dot's happy_. He began calculating the day's expenses in his head. _Thirty-three, twenty-six for the gloves and six, ninety-seven for the cake…from what we had…that leaves us at twenty dollars and seventy-four cents, total. Oh, God, we only have twenty bucks to our name_.

Yakko closed his eyes and rubbed his temples as the despair sunk in. _I have to find a job as soon as possible. I have to…_ The stress gave him a headache and yet another sleepless night followed.

* * *

The Warner siblings strolled down the sunny streets of Burbank, having just completed their grocery shopping. The entire city seemed to bask in the serene weather, as the warmth of summer met the occasional cool breezes that foretold the coming fall season.

Dot skipped cheerfully ahead of her brothers as Wakko followed closely behind her with his tongue sticking out, hugging the brown paper grocery bag to his chest. Yakko lagged behind them, holding a grocery bag in each arm. _And now, cue the downward spiral of the Warner family_, he thought bitterly, staring dejectedly at his feet as he walked.

The food they just bought had left them with less than a dollar; even with all the coupons from the daily paper and buying only the cheap, store-brand products, the total at the grocery store had come to nineteen dollars and eighty-two cents. Yakko had watched anxiously as the cashier scanned each item, one-by-one. _Please be under twenty bucks, please be under twenty bucks_, he thought. Someone must have heard his plea, because the siblings were able to pay and leave the store in peace. _With the last of the Warner Brothers check_.

Yakko retained his gloomy mood as they walked home. He had spent the previous day scouring Burbank for a job, but to no avail. It seemed that Plotz had been right on the mark when he told him that no one in the area would hire a Warner; every place of employment had turned him away. The woman in charge of the fine China shop had even chased Yakko out with a broom. He returned to the water tower that night depressed and had immediately locked himself in his room, unable to face his beloved siblings.

"Look!" Dot cried, snapping Yakko out of his thoughts. She pointed across the road to the video rental where inside they could clearly see a life-sized cutout of Mel Gibson's character from the "Lethal Weapon" movies.

"Can I get a closer look?" Dot asked, jumping up and down. "Okay. But Wakko, you go with her," Yakko said tiredly as he took the grocery bag from his brother. Yakko set the groceries on the ground before sitting on the curb and watching his siblings hustle across the street.

Yakko sat with his shoulders hunched over and rubbed his eyes. Suddenly getting to his feet, he paced in circles around the groceries huddled on the sidewalk. _Why can't I find a job? What did I ever do to deserve this? Well, never mind that_. Yakko's pacing quickly turned to a frustrated stomping.

"I swear, if I ever get a job I'll work as hard as I can!" the teen grumbled. "I just _need_ a jo-!" Yakko landed face-first onto the hard cement. Pushing himself up, bewildered, he looked around for the thing that had caused him to fall. The slow swish sound of thistles against the ground told him someone had stuck a broom out in front of his feet. Dusting himself off as he rose to his feet, Yakko opened his mouth to reproach the one who had been sweeping but closed his mouth instantly.

An enormous brown bear toon wearing a stained-grey shirt and worn, blue apron towered over the young Warner. "Uuuuuhhhhh…"

"What do you want?" the bear asked gruffly, seeming to just notice Yakko.

"You, uh, tripped me a minute ago," Yakko said pointing to himself.

"Is that right? Then maybe you'll think twice next time you come messing around my kitchen!"

Yakko suddenly realized where he was located; they were directly behind Bazoli's Fine Dining. The large bear turned and headed back toward the kitchen staff entrance. Thoughts whirled around in Yakko's head when suddenly, he was struck with an idea.

"Wait, mister!" he called. The bear turned and narrowed his beady eyes at the boy. _This is it, Yakko, turn on the charm!_ Standing up straight, Yakko continued.

"You strike me as a toon with little time for such endeavors as _sweeping the steps_ or _taking out the trash_. Perhaps if, say, someone else did those things for you, why, you'd be able to do _way_ better things with your time!"

The bear faced him with an annoyed expression. "You asking for a job?"

"If you'll have me," Yakko replied, hope laced in his voice.

"Did you think of maybe filling out an application instead of bothering me like this?" Yakko blinked up at him.

"I tried. I was here yesterday, but a raccoon toon sent me away."

"Did he, now?" The bear said surly. Yakko noticed him tense up and saw that he was beginning to fume. Unsure of what he had said to infuriate the man, he explained further.

"Well, yeah. He said that you weren't hiring because you already have too many people working in the kitchen."

"He said that!?" the bear snarled through gritted teeth. He suddenly slammed his huge fist into the brick building beside them, leaving a large crack and causing Yakko to take a step back. "_Damn that rascal_!" Remembering the Warner boy standing there with eyes wide in terror, he exhaled slowly and lowered his fist.

"Look, you want a job, right?"-Yakko nodded vigorously-"You got it, then. Be here on Monday at seven in the morning. I'll have you fill out some papers, then."

Yakko couldn't believe this; it was too good to be true. _Did this guy not get the 'Don't hire the Warners' memo?_ "Wait a minute, do you know who I am?" he asked suspiciously.

"Why, are you important or something?" the bear demanded.

"Nope, not at all. I'm a nobody," Yakko said quickly. _I guess he doesn't watch cartoons_.

"Monday at seven. Don't be late." And with that, he sauntered back into Bazoli's kitchen. Yakko could faintly hear him grumbling something along the lines of, "Damned bastard thinks he can pull that crap behind my back. I'll show him!"

Yakko stood there for a moment, dumbfounded. _What the hell just happened?_ he thought, replaying the entire scene in his head. _I…have a job, now? Just like that?_

The realization nearly knocked him off his feet. _I have a job! _After countless nights anguishing over his unemployment situation, the phrase sounded peculiar to him. It was a dream come true.

Gathering the grocery bags off the ground into his arms, balancing one against his hip, Yakko shuffled awkwardly across the street to the video store. Luckily, Wakko noticed him looking at them through the window. Confused by Yakko's sudden bright expression, he dragged Dot away from the Mel Gibson cutout and out the door to where their brother stood.

"I've got great news, sibs!" Yakko began, unable to contain his excitement. "I'm going to start working at Bazoli's on Monday!"

His siblings stared blankly up at him.

"You got us a job?" Dot cried incredulously. "Why would you do something like that?"

"No, _I _got a job. You two don't have to work. And I'm doing it so we can afford things! You see all this food? It doesn't pay for itself."

"We seem to have been managing just fine, though!"

"Are you going to be a waiter?" Wakko asked as he took one of the grocery bags from Yakko.

"Uuuuuhhhh, actually I think I signed myself up to sweep and take out the garbage."

"You signed yourself up for _that_?"

The Warner trio walked in the direction toward their home. Living in a water tower had its advantage at times, as they could make out its red pointed-top where it stood on the Warner Brothers lot from Burbank.

"But if you work, when we will get to play together?" Dot whined.

"Relax, I won't work _all_ the time. I'm just going to earn enough so we won't have to worry about money, so much."

They reached their beloved tower and began crawling up the ladder, each holding a grocery bag tightly in one arm.

"But, Yakko-" Dot continued.

"It's a job, I'm not going away forever," Yakko explained as they entered the tower. He turned to face his siblings and smiled. "This is a good thing for us. Give it time and you'll see." Wakko and Dot exchanged uneasy glances as they helped their brother put the groceries away but decided to let the conversation end there.

_But, this means that tomorrow is the last day we'll have together before I work_, Yakko thought suddenly. _After tomorrow, everything changes_. He placed a carton of milk in the fridge. _I'll have to make it count_.

* * *

Yakko sat between his siblings on the dirty bus, nonchalantly toying with his paddleball. They were currently on their way to the amusement park in Glendale to celebrate the eldest Warner's last day of unemployment. He glanced from side to side to make sure his younger siblings weren't getting too bored; Dot read a fashion magazine peacefully while Wakko stared out the window with his tongue sticking out. _This is weird_, Yakko thought to himself. _Normally we would've broken something by now. _

The Warner children had never been able to handle road trips very well; their restless nature often caused them to argue and wrestle amongst themselves when they got bored (which didn't take long for such to happen). _They must realize that today's special_.

When finally they reached their stop, the Warner siblings hopped off the bus and made their way down the street. Suddenly, much to their elation, the amusement park came into sight.

"We're here!" Dot cried happily.

"Can we go on _all_ the roller coasters?" Wakko asked, thrilled.

"If we have time," Yakko replied cheerfully. "Come along, sibs."

They rounded a corner and spotted the park entrance, as well as a rather long line for admission tickets. _Great, they want money_. Yakko slowed his pace awkwardly and looked around for an alternative. He suddenly became aware of the somewhat large size of the gaps in the barred fence circling the park. _I highly doubt that a dollar would get the three of us in, anyway_.

"Uuuuuhhhhh, I have a better idea. Let's go this way," Yakko said, pulling his siblings back around the corner.

"Hey, we're going the wrong way!" Dot protested.

"Don't worry, we'll still have our fun. But we're definitely skipping the line." Yakko stuck his foot through the gap in the metal bars and pulled himself through to the other side. "Tadaa! Wasn't that fast?"

"But, isn't that wrong?" Wakko asked nervously.

Yakko hated that he was encouraging his siblings to do something illegal but he couldn't bear the thought of telling them that he couldn't afford to pay their way in.

"Come on, sibs, please? After today, I don't know when we'll get to do this again. If we skip the admission line, we'll have more time to go on the rides."

"Alright, but if we get caught, you have to tell the cops that this was your idea. I'm _not_ going to jail with you," Dot said sternly as she slipped her slim figure through the fence. Once Wakko had squeezed himself through, the Warners headed for the rides.

They spent the day hustling from one adrenaline rush to the next, screaming in delight at every twist and turn of each roller coaster. Yakko had just enough change in his pocket to buy them a small stick of blue cotton candy to share. Unfortunately, Wakko threw his portion up when he got sick on one of the spinning rides. After hours of joy, the Warner siblings decided to take a break and plopped down at a picnic table in the shade.

"You guys getting tired?" Yakko asked teasingly.

"A little bit," Wakko replied. Dot, however, was staring off in the distance as the sun slowly began to set.

"I wish today would never end," she muttered quixotically.

"It's got to end sometime, Dot," Yakko said lightly. He leapt to his feet suddenly. "But not just yet! What do you say we go on one more ride before we head home?"

"How about the spinning teacups?" Wakko suggested.

"Why, so you can throw up again?" Dot huffed. Someone cleared their throat loudly. Yakko whirled around to face one of the park employees, a gangly, pimply young man.

"May I see your admission ticket stubs?" the man asked with apprehension in his nasally voice.

_Oh, shit_, thought Yakko. "Uuuuuhhhhhh, _run!_" The Warners bolted toward the fence as the man chased after them, wheezing and gulping the air as he ran. The children hurriedly squeezed through the metal bars just as he caught up to them.

"And…stay out…huff, huff…you…you little punks!" the man wheezed angrily.

"That guy should really try exercising more often," Dot remarked.

"I guess that's our cue to leave," Yakko stated dryly.

The children looked at each other before bursting with laughter. "Wow," Wakko chortled. "It's been a while since we got in trouble like that."

"Hahaha, yeaahhh…" Dot agreed.

They walked to the end of the street and boarded the bus. During the entirety of the ride, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot chatted happily, retelling funny stories and giggling noisily, much to the irritation of the other passengers.

By the time they reached Burbank, the street lamps had already been lit. The Warners headed for their water tower, exhaling heavily and marveling that they could see their breaths in the chilly air. Once they finally arrived home, Yakko made grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner.

"Wakko, use a napkin!" Dot scolded as her brother licked the grease off of his gloved fingers.

"I don't tell you how to eat your food," Wakko argued.

"Settle down, guys," Yakko warned.

After they had eaten, Wakko and Dot watched TV (engaging in a power struggle over the remote control) while Yakko washed the dishes. He hummed the tune of "Yakko's World" as he scrubbed at the grease on their frying pan. _I wonder what I'll have to do, tomorrow_, he pondered to himself. _Sweeping and taking out the trash doesn't seem so bad. Who knows, maybe after a while I'll get to actually cook something_. Yakko grinned suddenly. _Yeah, I'd like that. I wouldn't mind becoming a chef one day_.

He rinsed the dishes with cold water before placing them on a rack to dry. "Bedtime, sibs!" he called as he pulled his yellow, rubber gloves off.

"Five more minutes," Dot insisted as she snatched the remote from her brother.

"Give that back!" Wakko cried. Yakko walked over to the couch where his siblings wrestled and took the remote from his sister. "Go to bed, _now_," he demanded, shutting the TV off.

He followed his siblings as they trudged reluctantly into the bathroom. They brushed their teeth and flossed before wishing each other goodnight. Yakko closed the door to his room and changed into orange-striped pajama pants. _Six sounds good to me. That should give me enough time to get there_, he thought as he set his Bugs Bunny alarm clock on his desk. Yakko hopped into his bed and closed his eyes, willing himself to fall asleep. Anticipation of the next day bubbled in his stomach.


	5. Hard Work

**Author's Note: I'm back with a new chapter! I will try from now on to post each new chapter no later than a week apart, but I can't make any promises. Please enjoy this latest installment of "Little Talks" and, again, reviews are very much appreciated.**

Yakko's eyes shot open as his alarm clock beeped shrilly. The teen stumbled out of bed groggily and tapped the off button in annoyance before raising his arms over his head and stretching his back (hearing a snap, crackle, pop as he did). _Alright, today's the day_, Yakko thought as he traded his pajama pants for his baggy, brown trousers.

Buckling his belt around his waist as he opened his door, Yakko was caught off guard by Wakko and Dot's bright expressions as they stood waiting for him in the kitchen.

"What are you two doing up so early?"

"We made you breakfast!" Dot chimed.

"It's Rainbow Puffs!" Wakko added as he presented a bowl of colorful cereal to his brother. "You have to get a good breakfast for your first day on the job." Yakko smiled warmly at them.

"That was really thoughtful of you," he said taking his cereal to the table. "It's delicious. Seriously, this stuff really boosts my work morale."

Dot laughed. "Just don't work too hard!"

His siblings wished him luck as he hurried out the door. Yakko walked swiftly down the street and waited a while at the bus stop before hopping on the bus heading for downtown Burbank. He gazed out the foggy window at the little shops as they began turning their lights on and preparing to open up business for the day. Yakko rested his head against the bus seat, beginning to feel the heaviness of his eyelids. He didn't get up this early in the morning unless it was Christmas.

Yakko got off at his stop and walked across the street to the back entrance of Bazoli's Fine Dining. _Do I just go in_? Yakko wondered. He knocked nervously on the metal door. A moment later, the door was opened by the same bear from the other day.

"Hi, remember me?" Yakko asked.

"Yeah, I remember you. Get in here, already," he ordered. Yakko obeyed and followed him into the kitchen, where other toons were already getting to work. Yakko paused to marvel at the environment. The kitchen wasn't as big as he had imagined it to be. Pots and pans hung above a medium sized table, under which were stored even more huge pots and mixing bowls. This kitchen had two small sinks, one located on either side of the room, and good-sized oven at the far left.

"Hurry up! I haven't got all day to deal with you!" the bear barked as he pulled Yakko roughly through the kitchen and into a small office. The bear looked Yakko up and down.

"Jesus, kid, don't you ever wear a shirt? You look like a hippie!" Before the boy could answer, he left the room and came back with a dark green t-shirt. "Put this on, it's policy," the bear said tossing it to the boy. Yakko pulled the shirt on and looked down at the dark stains on his chest.

"Uuuuuhhhh…"

"They're old stains. Don't worry about it."

The bear sat down at a tiny desk, which looked even smaller in proportion to his large size, and pulled a stack of papers out of his drawer.

"Fill these out. If you don't have a date of birth or social security number, don't worry about it. Not many toons do. I really just need your name, estimated age, emergency contact number, and signature at the bottom."

Yakko scribbled his information down and gave the filled-out papers back to him. The bear looked over them silently as the Warner boy sat across from him.

"Sooo, what can I call you?" Yakko asked, breaking the silence. He simply couldn't tolerate silence.

"My first name's Brian," he answered curtly. _Brian Bear? Really?_ thought Yakko.

"And you're…Yakko Warner?" Brian scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Where have I heard that name, before?"

"I dunno, Yakko's a pretty common name." Brian narrowed his eyes.

"Don't get smart with me, boy!" he growled.

_Damn it, Yakko, stop with the sarcasm! You won't work here very long if you keep this up_. Yakko kept his eyes lowered. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"Whatever. Anyway, you'll work here from seven to three then five to eleven, Monday through Saturday. You get Sundays off. I'll pay you two fifteen an hour. Any questions?"

_Two fifteen an hour_? Yakko thought incredulously. _What the hell?! _"Uuuuuuhhh, yeah. Only two dollars and fifteen cents? Why so little?"

"This is your first day here. After working here a while, I'll raise your pay," the bear explained, exasperated.

They exited the small office and walked back into the kitchen. Brian cleared his throat, grabbing the other toons' attention, and pushed Yakko forward.

"This here's Yakko Warner. Since it's his first day, make sure he knows what to do and stays on task."

"Hi," Yakko said waving. His friendly smile was unreciprocated as his new coworkers looked at him sourly. When it seemed apparent that their boss had said all he was going to say, they went right back to work. Brian chuckled tauntingly.

"How do you like them apples, _Rascal_?" Yakko's heart skipped a beat when he saw who the bear was talking to. Sitting on a wooden stool, chopping tomatoes, was the very raccoon who had instructed him to go away when he first came looking for work. He put his knife down for a moment to look up at Brian reproachfully.

"You know how I feel about hiring children," the raccoon replied softly. Despite his calm demeanor, his tone was venomous.

"I don't care how you _feel_. We needed more kitchen hands and you knew that!" Brian snarled. He turned to Yakko. "This is Rascal. Do everything he tells you to, since _he's_ _your supervisor,_ now." With one last glare in the morose raccoon's direction, he bustled back into his office.

Yakko watched him leave then looked at the raccoon, anger bubbling inside him.

"Well, Mr. Supervisor, what should I do first?" he leered.

"First of all," Rascal said quietly. "Don't ever call me 'Mr. Supervisor' again. Once you've decided to mature a little bit, you can help me chop these tomatoes."

Yakko furrowed his brow before grabbing a cutting board and a small knife and plopping down across from the raccoon. He grabbed a tomato from the box and began clumsily cutting it into small, uneven bits. His pride prevented him from admitting defeat, though.

"You know, with the way you tried to keep me from getting a job here, maybe you're the one who should 'mature a little bit'," Yakko remarked snidely. Rascal froze in the middle of slicing a tomato in half, and looked up squarely at the Warner boy with icy, gray eyes.

"You do realize that he only hired you to piss me off, right?" Yakko almost shivered from the coldness of his glare.

"But why does me working here piss you off?"

Rascal continued as if he had heard nothing. Yakko glanced at the clock on the wall; it was only seven thirty. He sighed and continued chopping tomatoes._ I've only been here for a half-hour and I already hate my job_. As the morning dragged on, Yakko's misery only increased. It turned out that Rascal wasn't much for supervising; it was the other toons in the kitchen who took a sick pleasure in bossing Yakko around.

The one called J.D. was the worst. J.D. was most likely in his mid-thirties and looked like a scraggly, sleazy version of Snoopy from the Peanuts cartoon. Not only did he enjoy ordering Yakko around, but he also had a habit of yelling at him when he messed up (as the Warner boy did, quite a bit). The other toon on kitchen staff was a short, chubby red squirrel named Hal. Hal acted as a sidekick to J.D., laughing obnoxiously when the dog toon tormented Yakko.

"Are you still wrapping the silverware, Warner? _Hurry up_!" J.D. snapped viciously.

"I'm going as fast as I can," Yakko replied tersely. In truth, he was having trouble keeping up with his tasks. Once he was done with the silverware, Yakko had to set the tables in the dining hall, take out the garbage, wash the dishes, and fill pitchers with water before opening time.

"Yeah? Well, go faster! This place opens at eleven, dipshit."

Yakko glanced at the clock and saw that it was already ten-thirty. _Great_, he thought sarcastically. Behind him, Hal snickered.

"Yes, Hal? What's so funny?" Yakko asked bitingly, keeping his eyes on the silverware he was wrapping in a cloth napkin.

"Oh, nothing," the squirrel chuckled condescendingly.

"What, did you think of a dirty joke? My, you must be _very clever_. Good for you!"

"Don't be angry, Warner, he's actually real happy the boss hired you," J.D. sneered. "Now that you're here, he's not the KGB, anymore. You are."

Yakko sighed as he forcefully placed the last of the wrapped silverware on the stack. "I know I'm gonna regret asking this, but what the hell's the KGB?"

J.D. and Hal exchanged mirthful looks. "Kitchen-Grime Bitch!"

"Oh, how charming," Yakko muttered, unamused, as his coworkers roared with laughter. Their guffawing ceased immediately as they heard a soft voice command, "_Get back to work_." Yakko looked over and saw Rascal coming through the back entrance, having returned from picking up a quart of cream from the store.

He walked briskly to the freezer in the next room and retrieved a frosty mixing bowl before coming back and sitting down across from Yakko. Yakko stared in disbelief as the raccoon poured the cream into the bowl, making no indication that he had just single-handedly managed to silence the two most annoying toons Yakko had ever met.

_Are they afraid of him_? Yakko thought curiously. _But why? He's not very tall or brawny…he doesn't really look special at all. Well, except for those eyes of his…yeah, those are creepy_. Yakko shivered unconsciously. He had never been one to allow himself to get intimidated by others, but there was something about the look in Rascal's eyes that outright terrified him.

"Don't you have something to do, too?" he asked, snapping Yakko out of his thoughts. He realized, embarrassed, that he had been staring intently at Rascal the entire time.

"Wha-uh, yeah! Yeah, I do," Yakko stammered. He stood up quickly and shuffled toward the door, grabbing the bag of garbage as he went. _Where the hell did this Rascal guy learn to glare like that, anyway? Did he do time in prison, or something? _Yakko, mustering all of his strength, managed to drag the heavy trash bag out of the kitchen and down to the end of the alley.

"And I thought Dot was scary when she's angry," he grunted.

"Hey, look what the cat dragged in."

Yakko promptly dropped what he was doing at the familiar tone and whirled around to see a gray cat atop a shaggy dog.

"Rita? Runt?!"

"That's us. It's been a long time, hasn't it, kid?" Rita replied smoothly, to which her companion added, "Yep, definitely a long time!" Yakko beamed at them. They hadn't changed a bit.

"Yeah, I'll say. So, what have you two been up to since the show ended?"

"Oh, this and that. Runt and I spend most of our time trying to scrounge up some food and a place to stay."

"Yeah, and Rita says that tonight, I can pick where we sleep! I'll find somewhere warm. Yep, definitely somewhere warm." At this, Yakko's smile disappeared.

"Huh? You mean, you guys are still strays?" he asked, perplexed.

"Well, yeah, kid. We've always been strays," Rita explained. "'Animaniacs' didn't make that part up."

"But what about the money you made from the show? Where did that go?"

"We could buy some food. And it was good, yeah, definitely good!" Runt responded eagerly.

"We didn't get paid, much, Yakko. Runt and I were only secondary characters. Sure, the show got us off the streets for a couple years, but we knew all along we'd end up back here after a while."

Yakko couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had never been particularly close to Rita and Runt, but he had always liked them. He had admired that, despite Rita's role as a stray, she retained a sort of elegance about her, and he had always gotten along with the good-natured Runt. _Looks like my sibs and I aren't the only ones having a tough time_.

"Well, to be honest, my family and I aren't doing so well, either. I mean, look at me," Yakko said, throwing his arms out. "Did you ever think one of the Warner brothers would have to get a job like this?"

"I was wondering why you were wearing a shirt," Rita teased. "It makes you look less hippie-ish."

"Seriously, you, too?" Yakko exclaimed. "I looked like a hippie all these years, and no one told me until today?!" Rita chuckled.

"_What's taking so long, Warner? Get back in here_!" They heard J.D. holler from the kitchen. Yakko flinched, then looked sheepishly at his former co-workers.

"Uuuuhhhh, I have to go. But I get a break at three o'clock. Can you guys meet me back here, then? We could catch up some more."

"Yeah, I'd like that," Rita said, smiling.

"That would be good, definitely good," Runt agreed enthusiastically.

"Alright, and I'll-"

"WARNER!" He heard Brian roar.

"Yikes!" Yakko muttered as he ran back into the kitchen.

* * *

It was around midnight when Yakko finally made it home. He crept quietly into the water tower and made his way into the dark kitchen, groping for the refrigerator. _Oh, good, Wakko didn't everything_, he thought hungrily as he searched through its contents. Though he had worked all day in a restaurant, Yakko had hardly eaten a thing. He pulled out a package of bologna and a few slices of cheese and shut the refrigerator door gently. Suddenly, Yakko heard his brother's voice come from the table.

"Yakko?" Wakko called drowsily. He went over to where his siblings sat with their heads resting on the table. Next to Wakko, Dot was fast asleep.

"Were you two waiting up for me?" Yakko asked knowingly.

"Uh-huh," Wakko grunted, half-asleep.

"Well," Yakko sighed. "It's pretty late. Better get you sibs to bed. You first, Wak." He hoisted his brother into his arms and began carrying him to his room.

"I didn't know you could still carry me," Wakko slurred.

"I've been working out," Yakko lied.

"No, you haven't."

"No, I haven't," he agreed. He returned to the table to find that his conversation with Wakko had woken Dot.

"How was your day at work?" she asked tiredly.

"It went well," Yakko replied as he carefully pulled his sister into his arms. "My boss is understanding, and my coworkers are real nice, too."

"It was that bad?" Dot asked wryly.

"Ohhhh, yeah. But on the bright side, I saw some old friends, today." Yakko entered Dot's room and laid her onto her bed.

"Who?"

"Rita and Runt."

"How are they?" she asked as she nestled herself under her bright pink blanket.

"Same as always." Yakko moved to the doorway before looking back. "Goodnight, Dot."

He shut the door gently and went back into the kitchen to continue making his sandwich. _Rita and Runt really are the same as they've always been. Unfortunately_, Yakko thought sadly. During his break, they had sat on the curb behind Bazoli's and talked for a long while. Yakko had found out from Rita that many of their old costars were in the same predicament as them; Mindy and Buttons were currently living below the poverty line because Mindy's mother hasn't had work in a year (it turns out she had been relying on her daughter's acting career to sustain them), the Goodfeathers were broke and back to moving around from one rooftop to another, and even Slappy the Squirrel was having trouble receiving her retirement checks. The only ones not struggling were Pinky and the Brain, and that was only because Warner Brothers decided to give them a TV show of their own. He had tried to convince Rita and Runt to stay at the water tower with them, but Rita had refused, saying, "We've always been strays. It's in our nature."

_I wonder what's going on_, Yakko thought as he sat down at the table. _Why can't toons make it, anymore_? Yakko chewed slowly on his sandwich, pondering their situation thoroughly._ More importantly, how long until my siblings and I are homeless, too_? He shook that thought from his head, vigorously. _No, no, no. We're not like the rest of them, we'll manage. As soon as I get a paycheck from Bazoli's, we'll be fine_. But the truth was, Yakko never wanted to go back to that restaurant ever again. With an ill-tempered manager, two obnoxious coworkers, and his "supervisor" who had decided to hate him for no given reason, who would _want_ to work there? _No wonder they were short on staff_, Yakko thought tartly.

Yakko sighed and placed his half-eaten sandwich in the fridge. "Wakko will eat it in the morning," he muttered as he lumbered into his room. After setting his alarm clock to six, again, he crawled into his bed, exhausted. For the first time in months, he didn't stare up at the ceiling but rather fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

Mornings became the most agonizing part of Yakko's day. Forcing himself from the warmth of his bed into the cold air of the water tower was a sadistic game he now played every time his alarm clock went off. _Do I stay comfy or turn that damned beeping off_? The damned beeping usually won. Yakko would slink out of bed, shivering, and pull his green shirt on as fast as he could before hurriedly changing his pants. Their heater only did so much; since the water tower wasn't insulated (it was a water tower, for crying out loud), the cold October winds that blew against their home seeped right through the walls. Yakko could faintly see his own breath.

"That's it," he muttered through chattering teeth one morning. "As soon as we get enough money, I'm getting us a second heater. Hell, maybe a third."

His workplace didn't get any better, either. Yakko had many questions to ask Rascal, like "Why aren't toons allowed to wait tables?" and "Why are we getting paid so little?" However, Rascal would usually ignore these questions, giving the Warner boy the cold shoulder. His constant stream of questions finally got on the last of the raccoon's nerves after a while, when Rascal curtly replied, "It's just the way things are, here. If you don't like it, go work somewhere else."

Though Yakko was slowly getting the hang of his chores, J.D. wouldn't cease his harassment of the young toon. The dog continued bullying him into not only managing his own tasks but J.D.'s as well.

"Didn't I tell you to do these dishes, Warner?" J.D. demanded, eyeing the mess in one of the sinks. Yakko stood at the other sink, filling glass pitchers with water and placing them on a rolling cart.

"Didn't I tell you that I wouldn't do your job for you?" he replied, annoyed.

"Just do the dishes, dipshit," J.D. snarled. "Or should I tell the boss that you didn't do the task I gave you?"

Yakko placed the last pitcher on the cart, his hand trembling with anger, before stomping over to the other side of the kitchen. With one last glare to meet J.D.'s triumphant smirk, he began scrubbing the grime off one of the pots. Fortunately, Yakko had learned, Hal only worked on Mondays and Saturdays. He'd only have to put up with the dog toon's immaturity most days. As J.D. strolled away, chuckling to himself, Rascal sat at the counter, arranging wine glasses on trays. _Thanks for nothing, Mr. Supervisor_, Yakko thought bitterly. Though he knew the raccoon was cold and distant, he figured he could _at least_ tell their coworker not to be such a jackass.

During his two-hour breaks, Yakko would return to the water tower every day to check up on his siblings. Though it wasn't much, he liked being able to spend at least a little time with them.

"How is your work, really?" Wakko had asked somewhat guiltily. "Do you hate it?"

"Well," Yakko replied, chewing on a peanut-butter sandwich. "The work's not all that hard, it's my coworkers. I'm, uuuuhhhhhh, not getting along with them."

"You? Not getting along with someone?" Dot remarked with mock surprise. "Nooo! I can't believe that!" Wakko and Dot giggled.

"Hey! I'm not that bad, am I?"

"Yes, you are!" Wakko cried. "That's why you don't have any friends besides us!"

"_What_?" Yakko spluttered, almost spitting his sandwich out. He swallowed quickly. "I have lots of friends! There's...uuuuuuhhhhhhhh…"

"Face it, mister!" Dot said, poking Yakko in the chest. "We're all you've got!"

It was Yakko's turn to laugh.

"Yeah," he beamed. "I guess you are."

Though he enjoyed the time he had playing with his siblings every day, Yakko could feel his life was turning into a dull, tiring routine. Wake-up, work, siblings, work, sleep, repeat. He wondered if that was what made his coworkers so unpleasant; perhaps even Rascal had been a fun-loving, peppy toon until this job had sucked the happiness right out of him. The thought of being drained like that frightened Yakko, though he couldn't let himself quit when Dot and Wakko needed him to keep a roof over their heads. When finally Friday afternoon came, he saw the fruits of his labor in his first paycheck from Bazoli's.

_A hundred thirty-seven dollars and sixty cents… it can't get a family of three very far, but it's better than nothing_. Yakko recorded his hours before leaving for his break. "A couple more weeks like this, and I'll be able to stop worrying," Yakko remarked to himself as he exited the kitchen and made his way down the cloudy street. "And I'll get a new heater. Or two." He cashed his check at the bank and stopped by the store before hauling groceries home to his younger siblings.

"Siblings! I come bearing food!" Yakko called out, holding the paper grocery bag above his head as if it were the spoils of a mighty hunt.

"Food?!" Wakko cried, springing from the couch. "I love food!"

"Don't eat it all at once," Yakko instructed as he put boxes of pasta in the cupboard. Wakko assisted him, his tongue hanging out to one side.

"Where's our little sister?" Yakko asked casually.

"She said she was going to the library. No, wait, I think she said the video store," Wakko answered as he placed a carton of orange juice in the fridge.

"You _think_? You're supposed to take care of her while I'm gone," Yakko scolded, then added gently, "I'm counting on you, Wakko. You're Dot's big brother, too."

"I know," he heard his brother mumble. Yakko sighed.

"Well, she'll get home later. Anyway, what have you been doing all day?"

"Just playing 'Go Fish'."

"With…only yourself?"

"Yeah, but it's better with more than one person! Will you play with me?" Yakko looked at the digital clock on the oven that read three forty-five, and then looked down into his younger brother's big, eager eyes.

"Oh, alright. But only for a little while. I have to go back to work, later."

"I'll get the cards!" Wakko exclaimed happily as he raced into his room. Yakko rubbed his eyes. He had been planning on taking a short nap during his break, today. But he couldn't say no to playing with Wakko, who had spent the day alone in the tower.

"Okay, I'll deal the cards out," the younger Warner brother called from his spot on the floor. Yakko went to sit cross-legged across from him. He was already weary from the day's work, and his day wasn't even over yet._ I don't know how much more of this 'working for a living' stuff I can handle…_


	6. Weakness

Dot knelt on the floor, surrounded by several papers. _Now that the rent's finally been paid, it looks like we're doing okay, now. That's a relief…_The Warner sister leapt to her feet and began gathering the loose papers into her arms. A few weeks had passed since her oldest brother had begun working at Bazoli's and she was pleased to say that their financial situation had improved thanks to it. Unfortunately, she couldn't say that Yakko's situation had improved; though they noticed the dark circles under their brother's eyes and how his shirt seemed baggier every time he put it on, the younger Warners had both wordlessly agreed not to confront him about it. Dot and Wakko hardly saw him as much as they'd like to, anymore, and when they did, he was too tired to do anything fun. _I know I shouldn't blame him…I mean, he does so much for Wakko and me_, Dot told herself as she neatly tucked their documents into a three-ring binder. _Always worrying about us too much and not worrying enough about himself…_ The tears began to well in the corners of her eyes. "But, dammit!" she huffed suddenly, throwing the binder into a cardboard box. "That jerk promised he wouldn't be at work _all_ the time! _He's killing himself_!"

"Dot? Is everything alright?" Dot exhaled slowly and composed herself before turning around to face her other brother standing in the doorway of his room.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just…" She kept her eyes lowered, searching for the right words to say. "I guess I have bit of cabin fever, is all."

Wakko's eyes bulged in alarm. "Fever?!"

"Not a real fever," Dot explained hurriedly. "What I meant is, I just wish the three of us were out doing something together. We don't do anything exciting, anymore." _Wow, Wakko, way to overreact_. She softened, though, when she realized that taking things literally was one of her brother's quirks that she hoped he never lost; it was a part of him. Wakko scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"I…heard what you said. About Yakko. Have faith in him, okay? He's tougher than he looks."

"Yeah, I guess he is," Dot muttered as she rubbed her arm.

Wakko nodded, his tongue sticking out. He suddenly noticed the cardboard box behind his sister's legs.

"Did you already celebrate this month's Bill Day by yourself?" Wakko asked, dismayed. "I could have helped you, you know."

"I just wanted to get it done before Yakko gets home. He shouldn't have to do everything around here." Dot's eyes finally met Wakko's and she smirked. "And besides, if you wanted to help me, you'd have to be good at math!"

"I have dyslexia, sue me!" Wakko retorted. Dot grinned as she headed for the door.

"Yeah, whatever you say! Anyway, I'm going to the library for a while. I'll be back soon."

"Okay, have fun." Wakko plopped himself down on the couch and turned the TV on. "Library, got it!" he muttered as he flipped through the channels. He wouldn't be caught unprepared for another one of Yakko's "Where's Dot" quizzes again. Now that he looked back on that conversation in his head, Wakko wondered why he hadn't just told his brother that she was at the library, in the first place. Whenever she went out by herself, it was usually to check out more books; not many people knew it (especially with the image Animaniacs gave her), but Dot was a notorious bookworm. Lately, she had taken an interest in reading Shakespeare's plays, with her favorite so far being "Othello." Wakko finally came across a channel showing Looney Tunes reruns when all of a sudden, the phone in the kitchen rang.

* * *

"Warner, I need those carrots chopped, _now_!" J.D. barked from across the room. The entire kitchen was in a state of clamorous frenzy as the restaurants waiters and waitresses urged the cooking staff to get their orders done as fast as possible, with each server insisting that their customers were more a priority than the others. Yakko pondered how, with only four toons working in the kitchen, these human waiters could actually believe that they weren't already busting their asses trying to keep up. With tourists pouring into the Los Angeles area for the Christmas season, every restaurant in Burbank was experiencing horrendous rushes for every meal.

"They'll be ready in a minute," Yakko snapped as he unskillfully chopped away at a carrot.

"I can't send these salads out without carrots!" J.D. snarled.

"Yeah, I'm aware of that!" the teen practically shrieked. Yakko quickly wiped the sweat on his brow away with his forearm. With every oven currently in use, it had to be at least ninety degrees in the kitchen, or rather it felt that way to the Warner boy.

"I need a chef salad, already!" he heard one of the waitresses call.

"Warner!" J.D. belted, now stirring a pot at the stove. As Yakko opened his mouth to retort, Rascal zoomed by him, scooping some of the carrot bits Yakko had finished cutting into his hands as he went, and tossed bit-siezed portions into the bowls of salad. "There, take it," he ordered as he returned to his station. The girl studied them in disdain.

"That's not a lot of carrot, though," she fretted.

"It's all we have right now. Take it out," Rascal said sternly. Pursing her lips, the waitress decided not to argue her case further and took two of the salads out on a tray. Embarrassed that he was holding the orders up, Yakko began chopping faster. The pieces of carrot looked even messier than before. _Are carrots really vital to a salad_, he thought in aggravation. _Why are people here so anal about the most trivial things_?

"Don't make Rascal do your job for you!" Hal sneered as he passed by on his way to the sink. Still fiddling with the knife, Yakko whirled his head around in the squirrel's direction.

"Yeah, well you're one to ta-_ouch_!" A surge of pain shot through Yakko's thumb causing him to wince. Looking down at his hand, he watched as blood trickled onto his cutting board in a steady flow. His blood continued to soak through his white glove and Yakko noticed a tiny piece of flesh dangling from his thumb; he had almost sliced the tip clean off. _Crap, I'm bleeding everywhere_!

"Uuuuhhhh…" Yakko stood up, his knees weak, and looked around the room frantically for a first-aid kit as he held his thumb tightly in his other hand. Panic welled in his chest as he glanced down and saw that his gloves had almost entirely been soaked red. _What's going on_? _Why won't it stop bleeding_?!

"Uh, Rascal?" he called above the kitchens turbulence. His hands were a wet crimson, now, and he suddenly found it difficult to breathe. "Could I…uh…"

* * *

The first thing that registered in Yakko's mind when he opened his eyes was Rascal and Brian staring down at him, concern etched on their faces, as the two knelt down on either side of him on the floor. Slowly, he eased into an awareness of his surroundings; he was currently sprawled on his back with a rolled up towel placed under his head. _Wha…what_? As he fully came to, the cacophony of servers racing to and from the kitchen yelling orders and the clanging of pots and pans buzzed in Yakko's ears.

"You okay, kid?" Rascal asked calmly.

"Uh, yeah. I'm alright." _Did I…faint?! _Yakko's eyes traveled down to his hand resting on his chest. His glove had been peeled off and a clean dish towel was wrapped around his injured thumb. The memory of seeing a piece of flesh hang limply from his finger sent a wave of nausea over Yakko. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut for a moment.

"Well, he's not dying or anything," he heard Brian grumble. "But he can't work in this state." Yakko's eyes shot open.

"Just give me a moment and I'll be fine," Yakko said quickly as he tried to sit up weakly, however Brian had already risen to his feet and was walking toward his office. Rascal had also stood up at this point and was cleaning the young Warner's blood from the counter with a disinfectant. Hal and J.D. were doing their best to make all the food orders with only the two of them, though the waiters were quickly getting impatient, again. J.D. glared unsympathetically at Yakko as he carried two platters to the take-out counter, as if to say 'how dare you pass out when there's work to be done'. The Warner boy was certain that, if not for the sanitation laws, the dog would have spat on him. He sat up slowly and rested his back against the table leg, rubbing the bump on the side of his head tenderly.

"You banged your head on the ground when you fell," Rascal explained bluntly as knelt down beside the boy with a first aid kit. He took Yakko's hand in his and began gently unwrapping the blood-stained towel.

"I noticed," Yakko muttered dryly. He watched uncomfortably as the raccoon dabbed Neosporin on the cut and wrapped bandages firmly around his thumb. "Hey, you don't have to do this. Really, I'm okay, now." Rascal stood up, grabbing the dirty towel off the floor as he did so.

"Someone's coming here to get you, so just sit tight for a while."

"But I said I'm okay, now!" Yakko argued.

Rascal shrugged. "It's policy," he said nonchalantly as he strolled to the back room of the kitchen. _Damned policy_, Yakko thought sourly, poking his bandaged thumb. _Sending me home, making me wear a shirt_. After washing his hands, Rascal came back and set to helping their coworkers handle the boisterous lunch crowd. Yakko sat next to the counter where Rascal worked, hugging his knees to his chest and avoiding any eye contact with J.D. or Hal.

"What's taking Scratchy so long?" he wondered out loud. "I thought he lived close by." Rascal paused drizzling chocolate over a dessert platter to stare quizzically at him. "My p-sychiatrist, Dr. Scratchansniff," Yakko explained. "He's my emergency contact."

"You mean 'psychiatrist'? Your psychiatrist is your emergency contact?" the raccoon asked softly, the hint of a smirk laced in his tone.

"He's, uuuuhhhhh, sort of reliable."

"I didn't speak to any doctor," Brian cut in gruffly as he walked by, carrying a trash bag in his hand. Yakko stared up at him. "Wait, what? Who's supposed to pick me up, then?"

"I called your home phone," the bear finished.

"_What_?" Yakko looked on, mortified, as Brian opened the back door to reveal Wakko standing there, his fist poised in the air as he was about to knock on the door. He instantly lowered his hand and gazed up at the bear.

"Is my brother here?" he asked diffidently. "It's for you, Warner!" Brian yelled as he side-stepped the boy and continued out the kitchen door. _Dammit, I didn't want him to see me like this! _The middle Warner poked his head through the door sheepishly and spotted his brother raising himself to his feet.

"Y-yakko?" The oldest Warner walked briskly toward Wakko and shut the door behind him.

"Let's go home," he said quietly, stepping down to the sidewalk without looking at Wakko, who followed closely behind. He hurried by as Brian returned from taking out the trash, careful to avoid his boss's annoyed gaze. Wakko caught up to his brother and walked beside him.

"So, is everything alright?"

"Yep, peachy," Yakko muttered.

Wakko looked at his brother, confused. "Well, what happened, then?" No answer. _What's going on? He's never this quiet_. He decided to try a different approach.

"Um, Dot's at the library. I know where she is, today!"

"Great," Yakko replied half-heartedly. Wakko furrowed his brow.

"Why are you going home early? Your boss said you had an accide-"

"I cut myself then passed out," Yakko said tensely. Wakko blinked up at him.

"You…passed out?" he asked incredulously. "Because you were bleeding?"

"Look, can we not talk about this?" the older Warner snapped. Wakko held his tongue, but questions swirled in his head. _Is Yakko embarrassed? He can't be! He's Yakko, for crying out loud_. Wakko glanced up and observed his older brother. His signature smirk had been replaced by a look of defeat as he trudged with his head hanging low; he appeared exhausted and depressed. Wakko couldn't believe it. Yakko, who was so confident, witty, and fearless…was ashamed of himself? Wakko wracked his brain for the right words, his tongue lolling out, then smiled brightly up at his older brother.

"There's nothing wrong with being afraid of something," he offered eagerly. "I mean, I'm afraid of clowns. And Dot's afraid of snakes." Yakko eyed him for a moment then continued staring at his feet.

"Yeah, there's nothing wrong with that." Wakko studied him then followed his brother's example, hanging his head glumly. The brothers continued home in silence.

As soon as the boys walked through the door, Yakko stepped past his brother and locked himself in his room without a word. He dug through his drawer and came across an old pair of dull, yellow gloves. _Not really my style, but whatever. _Sitting on his bed as he pulled them on, careful around his thumb, Yakko reflected on his day. _Losing work hours because of a bloody finger…then making my little brother walk me home like a little girl. How useless can I get?!_ The teen flopped onto his back and sighed in exasperation. _I should be the one taking care of Wakko, not the other way around_, he lamented silently. Yakko closed his eyes and rubbed his temples as he felt the frustration boil inside him. He could make out his siblings' voices on the other side of his bedroom door.

"He cut himself? Well, he's okay, right?" he heard Dot ask worriedly.

"Yeah, just don't bother him about it," Wakko replied, then added in a hushed tone, "He's a bit embarrassed about the whole thing." Yakko groaned quietly, covering his face with his hands. _Can I just go one day without failing everyone I care about? Just one?_

Work that day would be a nightmare and Yakko knew it. Just the thought of his coworkers' taunts, calling him a sissy or a joke for fainting on the job, made the teen squeamish and he had seriously contemplated taking the day off. With great reluctance Yakko stepped quietly through the back door, careful not to draw attention to himself, and was somewhat relieved that J.D. was washing dishes at the sink with his back turned to him. His efforts were in vain, however, as J.D. had been waiting eagerly to harass the boy. With a malicious glint in his beady eyes, the dog turned around and sneered at Yakko.

"Oh, you're here, Warner? I thought the boss would have given you another day off, seeing as it's _your time of the month_!" Yakko felt his face grow hot and clenched his fists. _Are you sure it's not too late to go home_? he asked himself.

"J.D., stop it," a soft voice called. Yakko stared, flabbergasted, at the spot where Rascal sat peeling potatoes. _Did he just defend me_? Feeling the boy's eyes on him, Rascal turned to face him. "Help me peel these."

"Sure thing," Yakko muttered suspiciously as he took a seat across from the raccoon. They worked in silence for a while until J.D. left to set things in the dining area. He took this as an opportunity to speak to the raccoon privately.

"Hey, Rascal," Yakko began awkwardly. "Uuuuhhhh, I just wanted to say 'thanks.' For, you know, helping me yesterday."

Rascal continued peeling without looking up at him. "Are you feeling better, today?"

"You mean, am I going to pass out on you, again?" Yakko asked jokingly. "Well, I can't be a hundred percent sure, but I think I'll live."

"Well, you certainly have your personality back."

"Are you kidding?" the teen jested. "My personality's the only thing I have!"

A small smile tugged at the raccoon's lips. "We got off on the wrong foot, didn't we?" he stated blatantly.

"The wrong hand, too," Yakko agreed. _So, maybe today won't be that bad_… Yakko could hardly wait until his break so he could go home and tell his siblings that he had finally managed to make a friend. Suddenly, they heard the sound of glass breaking, followed by a torrent of angry swearing from J.D. Yakko smirked.

"You must be pretty high up if jerks like Scumbag-Snoopy and his nutty sidekick listen to your orders," he remarked while peeling a potato. "How'd you ever get to know so much about kitchen management?"

"I've been working here for a long time," Rascal replied quietly.

"How long?" Yakko pried.

"Seven years."

"Seven years?" Yakko questioned incredulously. "Is this...Did you plan on doing this with your life?"

"Actually, no," Rascal explained. "I took this job because I had to, and I never really went looking for work anywhere else."

Yakko dropped the cleanly peeled potato into a metal pot. "Because?" he asked encouragingly.

The raccoon sighed, a troubled look on his face. "Well," he began calmly. "When I was sixteen, my mother grew very sick. She hadn't been able to find work in years and since my father left us when I was a kid, we didn't have enough money to get her any treatment." Yakko paused to stare at Rascal, engaged in his story. He had never heard the man say so much at once. "I got a job here when they first opened the restaurant so I could save up to get my mother the care she needed. Before I had enough money, though, she died."

"Wow, that's terrible. I'm so sorry, Rascal," Yakko whispered, unsure of what to say. "But, well, didn't you have any other relatives at all? Anyone to help you guys, financially?"

Rascal stared at his hand thoughtfully for a moment. "I had a younger brother named Bandit. He stayed home and took care of our mother while I worked during the day."

"What do you mean you 'had' a younger brother? What happened to him?"

Without looking up, he said simply, "He ran away."

* * *

A monotonous tune played with the words "GAME OVER" plastered on the screen of an arcade game. It was Wakko's absolute favorite, though on this particular day, he hadn't made it past level four. Realizing he had used the last of his coins, Wakko sighed and stepped outside the cool, air-conditioned game room. He had really thought that playing "Snack Attack" would help him clear his head, but in fact it was only making things worse. He couldn't focus, not with the image of the sad, disheartened look on Yakko's face burnt in his mind.

_I embarrassed my sibling_, Wakko told himself as he trudged along the street. _I didn't mean to, though. I just wanted to show him that I can be responsible, too_. He held his stomach as it growled irritably. With no money left to eat out, Wakko decided to head home for lunch. _I can be a good brother like him_…

"And why shouldn't I be?" Wakko suddenly thought out loud. "I'm a better brother than Yakko in some ways. I mean, when he walks me home from places, I don't shut myself up in my room. No, I swallow my pride and say 'thank you.' Is that so hard?!" He was stomping now, and attracting weird looks from the people walking on the street nearby. "Why does he think he needs to be better than everyone? No, scratch that, why does he think he needs to impress _me_? Like he's not already smarter and taller!"

"Why is that kid yelling at himself?" He stopped dead in his tracks, suddenly aware of the crowd of people staring at him. "Is he some sort of street performer?" he heard one whisper. Wakko blushed.

"See?" one lady boomed, pointing to the middle Warner. "This is precisely why we should all spread awareness on mental health. This child is obviously in need of a _psychiatrist_!"

Wakko was suddenly struck with an idea. "That's it!" he exclaimed as he ran past the throng of people. "Wait!" the boisterous woman called out to him. "Come back, little puppy child! Let us help you!"

_A p-sychiatrist can help our family_, Wakko thought as he raced to the Warner Brothers movie lot. _Scratchy can take us all to a movie on Yakko's day off, and it'll feel like old times_! He rounded a corner and headed for the psychiatry ward. _Yakko never minds when Scratchy is the one taking care of him, so he'll get his rest and won't be embarrassed about it._ He reached the front door pulled it open._ Why didn't I think of this sooner_?

"Hellooooo, Nurse!" he sang as he leapt through the doorway. The poor woman had nearly jumped out of her seat at the boy's loud entrance.

"O-oh, Wakko!" Hello Nurse stammered. Though clearly flustered, her voice remained silky, much to the young Warner's delight. "What are you doing here? You don't have an appointment, today…"

"I know," Wakko replied as he strolled up to the reception counter. "Is Scratchy here? I need to ask him for a favor!"

"No, I'm afraid he's on his lunch break, right now," she said drawing back slightly from the boy's amorous gaze.

"Well, what's he doing this Sunday?"

The young nurse pulled up a concise schedule on her computer and checked the appointment dates. "He's booked this weekend, but you can come see him next Wednesday, if you'd like."

Wakko's smile faded. "What about next weekend?"

Hello Nurse glanced at the schedule once more. "Booked, again." Seeing the boy's frown deepen, she asked sweetly, "What favor did you need from Dr. Scratchansniff? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Wakko sighed. "I wanted Scratchy to take my siblings and me to the movies. We haven't gone in a while…"

Touched by the sincerity of his request, Hello Nurse placed her hand over her chest. "Oh, you poor thing. Wait, give me a moment." She leaned over and pulled her wallet out of her purse. "Here," she said, handing Wakko a twenty dollar bill. "Go to the movies, my treat."

Wakko tried to push the money away, ashamed that he had led her to believe that he was asking for charity. "No, I can't accept this. Thank you, but no."

"It's okay," Hello Nurse reassured him. After a moment of hesitation, Wakko finally accepted the money and mumbled his thanks on the way out of the psychiatry ward. _Ugh, that wasn't cool at all! Now she thinks I'm just some poor little kid_! As he walked through the glass door, he looked back at Hello Nurse fixing her makeup with a pocket mirror and grinned, his tongue sticking out to one side._ But I swear, I'm going to marry that woman someday_!

* * *

Yakko and Dot sat beside each other on the couch watching mindless television when the water tower door burst open.

"Yakko!" they heard their brother cry.

"Oh, hey Wakko, what's going o-"

"Can we go see a movie this Sunday?" he interjected eagerly. Before the oldest Warner could respond, Dot had turned around to face Wakko.

"With what money, ya dope?" she berated. "We have to save up so we can keep living here!"

"Yesterday, you said you wanted to go out and do something," Wakko argued. "And besides, I'll pay for it." He flashed the twenty dollar bill Hello Nurse had given him.

"Where'd you get that from?" Yakko asked sternly. "Did you borrow money from someone?"

_Uh-oh, his parent tone's on_, thought Wakko. "Well, yeah, but it's not what you think," he said cautiously. "Someone we trust wanted to help us out, that's all. I'm not in trouble with the mafia, or anything!"

Yakko sighed. "Alright, just don't do it again."

"So, we can go?" Dot asked hopefully, staring up at her brother with puppy-dog eyes.

Giving in, he smiled at her. "Yeah, we'll go."

"Hooray!" Wakko and Dot cheered in unison.

"Oh!" Yakko snapped his fingers. "Your celebration just reminded me. I have big news!"

"Oh, no!" Dot cried, pointing a finger at her oldest brother. "The last time you had 'big news,' you got a job. I don't like where you're going with this."

"Relax," Yakko chortled. "I just wanted to tell you guys that I made a _friend,_ today. A real friend who's not related to me!" His siblings looked at each other.

"Weeell," Wakko began. "Does this friend _know_ that he's your friend?"

"Of course he does!" Yakko snapped. "He's my coworker, Rascal."

"I thought you said you hated all of your coworkers," Dot accused.

"Well, as it turns out, he's not that bad," Yakko replied. "Oh, speaking of work, I should hit the road." He hopped up off the couch and made for the door. "For dinner, just warm up leftovers. And don't stay up too late!"

"Have fun with your new friend at work," Dot called. Once the water tower door had been slammed shut, Dot turned to Wakko.

"So, who _did_ you borrow the money from?"

"It doesn't matter," he replied casually as he went to sit next to her.

"Tell me!" she demanded. "I promise I won't tell Yakko."

Wakko felt his face turn scarlet. "…Ell…nur…" he murmured.

"What? I didn't hear that?" Dot teased.

"I said Hello Nurse!" he shouted. His sister fell back on the sofa in a fit of laughter.

"Ha, ha, ha! Seriously?" she snorted. "Wow, what a ladies' man!"

"Knock it off!"

"Okay, I'm sorry," Dot giggled, wiping a mirthful tear from her eye. "I guess I should be glad you're in Hello Nurse's debt and not some crime boss's. Though, even _she_ could probably beat you up if you don't pay her back. You're not exactly _brawny_."

"No, but I can take _you _in a fight!" Wakko challenged. He leapt on top of her but recoiled when she yanked his red hat off his head. "Yeah, whatever!" Dot retorted. They rolled around on the couch, wrestling playfully, until an emergency news reel came on the television.

"Ouch, Wakko, stop! I want to see this!" Dot hissed as she pushed her brother away and sat up in front of the TV. A red haired woman appeared on the screen with a video of a riot playing behind her. What differentiated this riot from others Dot had seen on TV was that this one showed a group of scruffy looking _toons_ breaking windows with baseball bats. _What are those idiots doing_? she thought.

"We interrupt this program for an emergency update," the anchorwoman reported solemnly. "Crime rates have skyrocketed in the Lose Angeles area due to violence caused by toon gangs. Motivation behind the actions of these cartoon characters has not yet been ascertained, but we are told they are very dangerous criminals. If you should happen to see a suspicious looking toon, we urge you to lock yourself in your home and call the police _immediately_."

"Suspicious looking toon?" Wakko repeated. "What does she mean by that?"

"Be warned," the woman continued. "Toons are not like human criminals. They carry mallets and explosives with them at all times. Please, do not try to confront a toon by yourself. I repeat, call the police." The screen suddenly switched to a blue background with "LADPS" in big, white letters. A deep voice uttered, "This message is brought to you by the Los Angeles Department of Public Safety." Suddenly, their show from before resumed on the television.

"What a load of crap," Dot fumed. "Why do they have to make it seem like _all_ toons are vicious gang members, huh?!"

"She sounded pretty serious, though," Wakko muttered. "All the humans are gonna panic, now."

Dot nodded. "What gets me the most, though, is why those toons are doing all those awful things."

"Isn't it obvious?" Wakko stated, thinking back to the footage of toons breaking into a store with crowbars in their hands. "Someone made them really angry."


End file.
